In the synagogue in Capernaum Jesus had said, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry’ (:35a). Many disciples heard this and said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ And from this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.
We might think that whoever became a disciple of the Lord Jesus - had gotten to know Him personally, had witnessed the many miracles He performed – could not possibly ever doubt Him! So it turns out more is needed to follow Jesus and remain faithful to Him.
Perhaps, here we find the explanation for the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘For many are invited, but few are chosen’ (Matthew 22:14). In the 65th verse we read: ‘…that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.’ A large crowd of disciples had come to Him and He spoke the same words to all of them. The words He spoke were full of the Spirit and life (:63). Many reacted to these words saying, ‘This is a hard teaching!’
But when Jesus asked His disciples, ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Peter answered, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God!’
How come that people reacted so differently to the words of Jesus? To whom was this ‘a hard teaching’? It was - and is - hard to those who want to accomplish everything by their own strength. But to the people who came to love Jesus it is no longer about the signs and wonders they see Him perform. No, they long more and more to do His will and so they find the way to His heart.